Ridgewood NJ, On Sunday, September 30, 2018 our Nation honors our Gold Star Mothers and families. The Presidential Proclamation in 2011 commemorating this day pronounces, “As members of a grateful Nation, we owe a debt we can never repay, but hold this sacred obligation forever in our hearts, minds, and actions. We honor their sacrifice, and stand with our service members, military families, and Gold Star families as they have stood for us.” The American Legion Post 53 and Ridgewood NJ’s Blue Star Families are committed to bringing awareness to our community and to commemorate the sacrifices these mothers and their families have made for our Country.

In the aftermath of World War I, Washington D.C. resident Grace Darling Seibold formed an organization called Gold Star Mothers to support the moms who had lost sons and daughters to the war. Grace’s son, First Lieutenant George Vaughn Seibold, was an aviator killed in combat over France in 1918. In 1928, the small D.C.-based group decided to nationalize its efforts. In 1936, a joint congressional resolution established the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mother’s Day. The Gold Star Mothers grew from a support group of 60 women to today’s extensive nationwide network with tens of thousands of members and hundreds of local chapters.

Accordingly, in Ridgewood, NJ the Gold Star Mother’s Day Committee will sponsor our seventh annual event commemorating Gold Star Mother’s Day on Sunday, September 30th, at Van Neste Park. There will be a short ceremony starting promptly at 7:00 p.m. and hundreds of luminaries will be lit to honor Gold Star Mothers and their families. But in addition, our goal is to see thousands of other luminaries lit throughout Ridgewood and other towns on September 30th to honor the Gold Star Mothers and families!
Everyone also can stand with us in honoring the Gold Star Mothers and families by helping to raise awareness through:
• talking to your family, friends, and neighbors about the event;
• joining us at Van Neste Park; and,
• supporting this event with a donation (please make checks payable to the American Legion Post #53, write “Gold Star event” on the memo line, and send it to the American Legion Post #53, P.O. Box 1525, Ridgewood, NJ 07450).